CHANGE - Prologue
by Phantom Dennis
Summary: Cordy wishes herself back in time.


  
DISCLAIMER: All characters in this story belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and 20th Century Fox. Some of the Dialogue was originally scripted by Marti Noxon.   
  
CHANGE by Phantom Dennis  
  
If I could change the way I live my life today  
I wouldn't change a single thing  
'Cos if I changed my world into another place  
I wouldn't see your smiling face  
-Lisa Stansfield. "Change"  
  
PROLOGUE PART A  
Changing the Wish  
  
"Buffy Summers. That's when all my troubles started," Cordelia stated. She held her side, her face distorted in visible pain, "when she moved here".  
  
"Are you okay?" Anya asked.  
  
" Oh, I just pulled some stitches last night. Know why?" Cordelia looked over at Buffy. " Surprise. It was Buffy's fault."  
  
Just then Harmony and a troop of ex-Cordettes walked up "Oh, hey, it's Garbage Girl. Loved the look last night, Cor. Dumpster chic for the dumped." Rudely giggling Harmony and her flock then proceeded to walk between Codelia and Anya.  
  
Anya took off her pendant and offered it to Cordelia. "Here. I think you need this more than I do right now."  
  
Cordelia moved her hair to the side and let Anya place it around her neck.  
  
"Oh I could sure use some luck. And a stick with pointy, sharp bits. If that Buffy wasn't... I swear. She's a pain."  
  
"But Xander, he's an utter loser. Don't you wish..."  
  
"I never would've looked twice at Xander if Buffy hadn't made him marginally cooler by hanging with him."  
  
"Really?" asked Anya .looking over at Buffy.  
  
"Yeah, I swear!" Then Cordelia took a breath, and thought about things for a few seconds "Although come to think of it I can't blame everything on Buffy. She did save my life once or twice. It's really my fault.  
  
"How could it possibly be your fault?" asked Anya incredulously.  
  
"I had the chance to break up with Xander back in Junior Year. If I had dumped him then, I'd still be on top where I belong. But like an Idiot, I took him back. I was willing to throw away my popularity for him,and oh how he repaid me."  
  
"Men are such jerks. Don't you wish---"  
  
"You know what I wish. I wish I could go back and correct that mistake.  
  
Suddenly Anya's face morphed becoming very wrinkled and raw-looking.. "Done" Anya said.  
  
  
  
PROLOGUE PART B  
BEWITCHED, BOTHERED & CHANGED  
  
"Cody Weinberg called me at home last night," Harmony said.  
  
"Huh"? said Cordelia a bit disoriented. How did she wind up speaking with Harmony again. Where was Anya? What was that face-morphing about?  
  
"Cody Weinberg! You know, the one with the 350SL. He Said he's thinking of asking me to the pledge dance on Thursday."  
  
"Oh", said Cordy. This conversation was starting to sound familiar.  
  
"Yeah, there's just two other girls he's gonna ask first, and   
if they refuse, then I'll...  
  
Just then Xander bumped into Harmony as they were rounding the corner.  
  
"Watch it!" Harmony snarled.  
  
"Sorry." Said Xander feebly. Cordy realized that somehow Anya must have granted her wish. She was somehow back in time reliving the big mistake.  
  
"God!" said Harmony looking him over "Y'know, I'm glad your mom stopped working at the drive-through long enough to dress you." Then she turned to Cordelia "Oh, that reminds me. Did you see Jennifer's backpack? It is *so* a crying..."  
  
Cordelia wasn't really paying attention to Harmony anymore. She was busy having an internal monologue. "OK Cordelia, this is your chance to put things right. Say nothing. Do Nothing. Everything can go back to the way things are supposed to be."   
  
As she saw Xander walk off, she said to herself. "Mission accomplished. Why don't I feel better?"  
  
"Cordelia, are you listening? You're not still moping after that loser, are you?"  
  
"Me? Of course not!" Cordelia responded and then added "Why? Are you interested in him?"  
  
"Me?" Harmony shrilled incredulously. "What would make you even say such a thing?"  
  
"It's strange but I seem to recall you and Willow fighting over him."  
  
"I - I don't know what you're talking about," Harmony sputttered. Cordelia smiled. She remembered that Buffy and Willow had remembered everything they did under Xander's love spell. It figured that Harmony and the others also remembered no matter how much they were trying to repress.  
  
"Oh, my mistake then. Oh, Harmony?"  
  
"What Cordelia?"  
  
"Well, there's really nasty rumor going around that Cody Weinburg will take Nancy Doyle to the pledge dance."  
  
"Nancy Doyle?" Harmony sputterd. "Miss Honor Roll? That would be almost as bad as taking Willow Rosenberg."  
  
"Oh it's just a silly rumor. I wouldn't give it much thought." As if you could, Cordelia added privately. With that Cordelia walked off.   
  
"Poor Cody Weinberg," she thought. "In a couple of months, he'll be dead and forgotten. Hmmm. Anya must have some sort of Fairy Godmother, a veiny scary fairy godmother. But I changed things, shouldn't I leap back now."  
  
Lost in thought, Cordelia bumped into somebody. Realizing that it was a faculty member, Cordelia decided to act as contrite as possible. "Oh Excuse me," she said "I really should watch where I'm going. Are you allright," she continued Turning to face the teacher, "Miss Calendar?"  
  
"I'm fine, Cordelia," replied the computer teacher. "Are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost."  
  
"Oh I'm just fine." Cordelia replied nervously. "Excuse me, I must be going now. So Sorry to have bothered you." Cordelia quickly raced off.  
  
  
"Oh wonderful, Cordelia, look what you've gotten yourself into. You were so thrilled to be able to proactively dump Xander that you forgot that this is the time period that Buffy turned Angel into Mr. Kill Spree. And it doesn't look like I'm going home anytime soon. What do I do now?"  
  
TO BE CONTINUED  
CHANGE CH. 1  
"A Passion for Change"  
  
Note: It may be some time for I get the next part posted. I've got a couple of other projects that are coming along smoother, so you may be seeing those first.  



End file.
